Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with a portable notebook computer system having a display unit that includes a display case, display screen, one or more liquid Crystal Display (LCD) panels and a light source.
The increased demand for portable computing devices, such as laptop and notebook computers, has resulted in a proliferation of technical advances and breakthroughs designed to increase system functionality, performance and convenience. Many of these advances have focused on making the portable computer small, thin and lightweight. Today's computer user, however, demands systems that are more compact, thinner and lighter than ever before.
The obstacles faced by designers in reducing system size and weight relate in large part to the number and types of devices and components options typically found in the more sophisticated fully featured computers. For example, users now demand high resolution graphic color LCD's, high density and high data rate mass storage devices, Integrated Memory Modules, removable diskette drives, spare battery cells and full-sized keyboards.
While many of these components have seen dramatic size and weight reductions over the years, such options still account for a major portion of the system's overall size and weight. Moreover, as users demand more functional and sophisticated systems, the push to miniaturize components becomes greater.
Recently, manufacturers have turned to more creative methods of reducing system size and weight. For example, manufacturers have begun using newer and more efficient designs, higher density Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) and assemblies that package more components in the available system space. Still others employ Application Specific Integrated Circuitry (ASIC) to combine system functions and thereby reduce overall component count. All such methods have been effective to some extent in reducing the physical dimensions and weight of the portable computer.
A subsystem that contributes greatly to overall system size and weight is the computer's display unit. The display unit typically combines a display case, LCD panel light source, display electronics and other components necessary to provide image output capabilities. The typical display unit on today's portable computer is approximately 0.5 inch thick and weighs 360 grams or more.
While many of the reductions in size and weight have focused primarily on decreasing the physical dimensions of the computer's PCB assembly and component options, little or no attention has been paid to the system's display unit. In this regard, an improvement on present portable computing devices that reduces the overall system's physical dimension and weight characteristics without sacrificing display functionality would be a great advantage.